append-to-note
Append content to the end of an existing Apple Note. Identify note by noteId or title.
LABSCO SUMMARY
Semantic search over your own notes, once the index has been built.
The 10 tools cover the read and write sides of Apple Notes evenly, but search-notes only earns its keep after index-notes has run, and that pass is the one step a reader is likely to skip. Notes are addressed by noteId or by title, and get-note returning a candidate list on an ambiguous title is the detail that keeps an agent from editing the wrong one. Deletion moves a note to Recently Deleted rather than removing it.
What it is
An MCP server over the Apple Notes app on the machine it runs on, with an index built for semantic search.
What you get
- Semantic and full-text search over the notes, optionally narrowed to a folder path.
- The folder tree with full paths and note counts, and note listings with titles, paths and timestamps, with content included on request.
- A note's full content by id or by title — and, when a title matches more than one note, a candidate list to disambiguate from rather than a guess.
- Writing in three forms: create a note with markdown content in a folder, edit its title or body, or append to what is already there.
- Filing and removal — move a note to another folder path, or delete it into Recently Deleted.
Requirements
The Apple Notes app on the same machine, and one indexing pass before search returns anything — index-notes takes seconds to minutes depending on how many notes there are.
Setup effort
One command — npx -y @dan8oren/mcp-apple-notes
USE CASES
01
Finding the note you know you wrote but cannot name
Index once, then search by meaning rather than exact wording, and open the match in full.
02
Filing a meeting note where you will find it again
Check what folders exist and their paths, write the note as markdown, and put it in the right place.
03
Keeping a running log without opening the Notes app
Add to the end of an existing note across a day, reading back what is already in it first.
04
Clearing out a folder that has gone stale
List what is in the folder with its timestamps, move what is worth keeping, and send the rest to Recently Deleted.
10 tools
Counted once with only startup setup. Other versions, modes or optional credentials may expose a different list.
create-note
Create a new Apple Note with a title and markdown content. Optionally place it in a folder path.
delete-note
Delete an Apple Note (moves to Recently Deleted). Identify note by noteId or title.
edit-note
Edit an existing Apple Note's title and/or content. Identify note by noteId or current title.
get-note
Get a note's full content and details by noteId or title. Optionally scope by folder path. If the title is ambiguous, returns a list of matching candidates — retry with noteId or path to disambiguate.
index-notes
Index all Apple Notes for semantic search. Run this first — takes seconds to minutes depending on note count.
list-folders
List all Apple Notes folders with full paths and note counts
list-notes
List Apple Notes with title, path, and timestamps. Optionally filter by folder path and include note content.
move-note
Move a note to a different folder. Identify note by noteId or title. Use list-folders to get available paths.
search-notes
Semantic and full-text search over notes. Optionally filter by folder path.
BEFORE YOU INSTALL
What to know first
Tools you get
10 tools when we connected. With MCP_APPLE_NOTES_READ_ONLY=1 only 5 register: index-notes, list-folders, list-notes, search-notes and get-note; the create, edit, append, move and delete tools disappear.
Requires
npx on PATH
Where it runs
All 5 documented clients run the server on your machine.
CONTEXT COST
Light Standing cost
Rated by the size of the 10 tool definitions that ride along on every turn, not by how many there are
INSTALLATION
Connect your client
Server setup
Setup
TERMINAL
git clone https://github.com/Dan8Oren/mcp-apple-notes && cd mcp-apple-notes && npm installnpx
TERMINAL
npx -y @dan8oren/mcp-apple-notesMCP Clients
Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf
JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"apple-notes": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@dan8oren/mcp-apple-notes"
]
}
}
}Claude Code
CLAUDE CODE · TERMINAL
claude mcp add apple-notes npx -- -y @dan8oren/mcp-apple-notesAny MCP client — From Source
ANY MCP CLIENT — FROM SOURCE · JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"apple-notes": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"tsx",
"<YOUR_PATH_TO_MCP_APPLE_NOTES>/index.ts"
]
}
}
}For the clone from the setup step: <YOUR_PATH_TO_MCP_APPLE_NOTES> is the full path of the mcp-apple-notes folder you cloned. The npx tabs run the published package instead and need no clone.
